New Family Favorite!!

Everyday I look at one or more foodie blogs or website. Everyday I probably watch 2-3 cooking shows on TV I amass quite a few recipes on a daily basis.... For the longest time I never really made any of them but recently that "Meatloaf again?" feeling hit us so I dug into my folder and started unearthing some NEW things.

This Recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Cous Cous has definitely been added to the rotation! I found this recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/ This is one of my most favorite sites to troll for recipes. Some hits some misses but I have never made a recipe of Pioneer Woman's that was not a HUGE success in this house!

I made it and we both really liked everything about it except the chicken I used Chicken Breasts instead of the chicken thighs it called for but we loved everything else about it! The veggies the garbanzo beans but we especially loved the spices. There is this beautiful harmony between the cinnamon and the tomato that is sooo unexpected and amazing. We think this would even be delicious as a vegetarian dinner which we might try sometime. I think it could also easily be made gluten free by using quinoa instead of cous cous. You'd add even more nutritious protein that way! This is a great one pot kind of meal too with a salad you're all set. It really delivers a lot of nutritional bang which makes me happy. This probably makes 4 good size servings. Steve and I always eat it for dinner then happily eat more for lunch the next day.

Tonight due to our disappointment with the chicken version we thought we'd try it with ground beef and it was a HUGE success Jeriah even ate up the squash and tomato. So Here's the recipe with my changes.

Moroccan Beef with Cous Cous (if you wanna be exotic it would be divine with ground Lamb!)

• 2 T Olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 whole onion, sliced or chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole red and green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1-2 whole zucchini, chopped ( I used yellow squash with equal success)
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c chicken stock
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 ts black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 15 oz can Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Cups chicken stock
• 1 1/4 c cous cous
• 2 t oil oil or butter for cous cous

In a large deep skillet brown your ground beef, drain and set aside. Add Olive oil and cook onions til soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add chopped peppers and zucchini cooking another minute or so. Add Cinnamon, Cumin and coriander to vegetables and stir until fragrant. Pour in chicken stock and tomatoes, stir to combine. Add salt pepper and sugar stir. Return cooked beef to pan and allow to simmer 20 min or until sauce has thickened. Season to taste.

In a saucepan bring 2 cups on stock to a boil add cous cous and stir. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let sit for 5-10min until liquid is absorbed. Fluff cous cous with a fork and drizzle in olive oil.

Delightful casserole...

When I was a kid whenever there was a church potluck... Whenever someone had a baby or surgery and the church ladies rallied to provide meals my Mom made this casserole! I liked it always and I was craving it awhile back so I asked her for the recipe. It makes a TON of food so you'll need a big casserole dish or use 2 panss. Its perfect for sharing you can keep half and give half away. Its an easy to cook recipe with ingredients straight from the pantry! I added the can of beans just to boost the nutitional bang. I dunno that its particularly Italian as its title implies but it sure is a tasy mix of yummy things! It reminds me of Fall warm and comforting...

Italian Delight
1 lb. ground beef
1 med onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 can corn
1 8oz sliced mushrooms
1 15 oz cans tomato sauce
2 4 oz cans sliced olives
1 15 oz can pinto beans
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 lb pasta (elbow or shells work well)

Brown meat and onion add green pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin. Salt and pepper to taste. Add corn, mushrooms, tomato sauce, olives, beans and cheese. Mix corn mixture with boiled macaroni. Put in casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. YUMMY!!

What in the name of mystery meat was I thinking?

So in the spirit of not eating bacon, I was open to the idea of trying turkey bacon. . Yes it has the word bacon in it but let’s face it, it’s not bacon! Dea made BLT’s for dinner last night and thankfully all the condiments covered the fact that this was the most ridged flavorless stick of paper thin fake meat I have ever seen. OK its real meat, but dang it, it’s not pork! It’s like they didn’t even try to make it fool you into thinking it was either. It seriously tasted more like an over cooked deli ham with no salt than bacon. At first while I ate I smiled and told Dea and myself it wasn’t too bad, but the fact is it was terrible! I just know somewhere in heaven there is a piggy looking down on me from a cloud with a single tear in its eye. “Steve no”! it says. “I gave my delicious life so you would never have to suffer at the hands of turkey knock off meat products”! I have shamed myself and that poor little piggy. I was better off sticking to the “NO” bacon at all rule I set myself and believe me in the future I will stick to it like pre chewed gum to your shoe on a hot Nevada afternoon. I did Dea a favor and ate the left over’s because it was so badly dried out it was hurting her teeth! I had her make me some toast and butter it up and throw the left over’s on there. I was hoping the extra fat would elevate it a little and in a way it did seem to help. The moral of the story is, 1. Bacon cannot be substituted. 2. Turkey belongs in its white meat form on bread or smothered in gravy only! 3. If you’re so worried about your health you decide to give bacon up for a month, just give it up! My advice don’t ever eat this stuff ever! Switch to something lean like ham steak if you must Canadian bacon if your desperate, but keep it in for pork family. No more weeping piggy’s, I can’t take it!

--Steve

To boldly GObble... Pastrami Dogs

So for reasons still unknown I had a brain storm of sorts a few weeks ago that we should try and make homemade Pastrami dogs. Now if you’ve ever been to wienerschnitzel you know what I’m talking about. The picture above pretty much says it all. Very simple you take your dog of choice smother it in chopped and slightly stove top grilled pastrami add some pickle and mustard and enjoy. I usually tend to think of the bun as a major part of the experience and I would have chosen something with a little more flavor and flair but Dea reminded me we were on a budget! Now my favorite part of Pastrami is not just the amazing roast beef like quality of it but also that amazing peppery bite you get from the outside spices and brine. I could imagine how all those complex flavors would combine to elevate my all beef ball park hot dog. I was super excited to sink my teeth into it. First bite I rolled around in my mouth for a few seconds and took in all the flavors. The dog was perfect, the mustard had some bite the pickle was vlassicly delicious, but no pepper! It turns out that a quick warm up in the pan managed to kill that delicious roast beef flavor and assassinated all that juicy peppery goodness that makes pastrami what it is. Don’t get me wrong it was a great dog. What flavor the meat imparted was still very good and elevated this child hood staple to a whole new level unfortunately it just falls short of resting on the heavenly mantle of food nirvana. Next time maybe we can find a way to harness those juices and add back in some of that peppery flavor. We will keep you posted. As for whether or not you should try this at home? I would say by all means. In fact I already figured on a few changes. First try some deli mustard instead of classic yellow. Second if mustard isn’t your thing maybe try your favorite barbeque sauce. Third when warming up the pastrami taste if before pulling it, if it needs some more flavor try hitting it with some cracked black pepper. I will say that this is a classic in the making and we will try this one again.

--Steve

His and Hers ( Our take on the Gold n Silver)

HIS: My experiences with the Gold and Silver Inn have always been really one sided. I had never stepped foot in the place till our Pastor asked us to meet him there for Pre-marital counseling. Dea and I never really made it there early, so we never ate anything. One time I was just so hungry I ordered a side salad with ranch and it was the saddest looking plate of nothing I have ever seen! It was lettuce 1 piece of cucumber and 3 cherry tomatoes. I picked off the tomatoes smothered it in black pepper and Ranch and ate it. It wasn’t bad, the lettuce was crisp! Anyhow over a year later Dea, Kyle and I are out near down town and we decided to stop in. I couldn’t help myself in a fit of home sickness I ordered the fish and chips against Kyle’s suggestion to try the pancakes. I will say this, my disappointment can barely be put into words at how awful that fish was. If this wasn’t a blog I couldn’t even try to describe it but that’s the whole point. They were like breaded in wet corn flakes and shaped like a machine processed fish stick! The fish taste wasn’t there at all and the sogginess was so unbearable I just drowned them (pun intended) in tartar sauce so I couldn’t notice I was eating a water logged corn flake log. I’m not much on returning to a place that I have such a terrible experience at. So perhaps in what can only be described as a self inflicted fit of memory lapse we found ourselves there again before Jeriah's first Dr. appointment. It was pretty early and I kept hearing about these pancakes so Dea ordered a short stack for us to share and I ordered a plain Jane sausage and cheese omelet. I will say this and please believe it to be 100% true, this was the best omelet I have had in Nevada! The eggs were perfect as if the chicken herself had gone into the kitchen, usurped the spatula and showed the cook how it was done. The cheese was portioned just right and the sausage had great flavor and zero greasiness. The hash browns which for me are usually an afterthought where golden delicious and flavorful like none I had ever had! Now for the clincher, the reason I now dream of returning to this place, the Pancakes! They are the best on earth! Light, fluffy, filling and the hint of vanilla almost as if an angel wearing vanilla lip gloss had just ever so lightly kissed them on there was out of the Kitchen. As much as I loved the omelet and I did, I was sad that I was so full and could only eat half the pancakes as I was sharing with Dea too! Now I’m not a native Nevadan so it’s hard for me to say, but I don’t think I would ever eat dinner here again and I would suggest you avoid it like the plague too! However breakfast time or any time for pancakes it’s alright in my book. I will defiantly be coming back for these and I would recommend you do the same.

HERS: I first heard of the Gold n Silver before I ever met Steve. My manicurist Keri told me they made the Cadillac of pancakes. I filed that away for future knowledge and never really thought about it again. We went to our pre-marital counseling there and I remembered I'd heard about the pancakes but like Steve said we never really ate there so I didn't really have opportunity to try them. We did go that time before Jeriah was born we were in the area because we'd heard they were gonna be featured on one of our favorite Food Network shows "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" hosted by Guy Fieri. We knew there had to be something we were missing out on if they were on that show. So we decided to see what the buzz was about. I had meatloaf and I thought it was pretty good actually standard casino coffee shop fare but it was tasty beefy with gravy and I think I had soup that day too that was also good. The revelation for both Steve and I came like he said when we took Jeriah to the pediatrician and stopped there for breakfast. I had gestational diabetes for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy so I had a very limited diet. After Jeriah was born I wanted to EAT! I wanted to eat some of the things I'd been missing out on. Breakfast out to me means Eggs Benedict. Its is far and above my most favorite breakfast and at the Gold n Silver it did not disappoint in fact I think it was probably the best order of eggs Benedict I've ever had!! I can still remember that tangy hollandaise and the silky poached eggs. It came with some perfectly cooked red country potatoes. I've dreamed about going back for eggs Benedict ever since. We did decide that day to also order a short stack of the supposed "Cadillac of pancakes" This Momma craved eggs Benedict through her whole pregnancy but during the last 6 weeks without any kind of sweet treats this momma wanted syrup! Keri was SOOOO right! These pancakes are light and lacy! There's this delicate little crispness on the exterior that gives way to a pancake with a little chew to it the whole mouthful is scented with vanilla and sweet like real CAKE and when dripping with butter and warm maple syrup... WOW! I think of going every time Jeriah has a pediatrician appointment! Then I remember I get to be a stay at home Mommy and the $10 I'd spend on Eggs Benedict or pancakes is better saved for our grocery bill or that pediatrician appointment. I would go back to the Gold n Silver for dinner they have some things we learned about on Diner's Drive-ins and Dives that I'd LOVE to try but I'd be hard pressed not to order Eggs Benedict or pancakes again cuz both were sooo delicious! I am pretty close to figuring out how to make Cadillac pancakes at home tho... When I'm sure I've got it I'll post it to share with the world! :)

A mocha by any other name

Two weeks ago on my way to work I was feeling pretty worn out and in need of a boost. I suddenly had a flash of me enjoying an ice cold Starbucks Mocha latte. I decided ever so joyously to pull into the local food mart and drag myself to the cooler section only to find they were sold out of my precious smooth icy creamy Starbucks!!! Well in a moment of shear weakness, potential regret and brand disloyalty I decided to grab a can (not a curvy clear beautiful glass bottle like My Starbucks) of the more moderately priced Seattle’s Best Iced Mocha. I was running out of time and just trying to hurry along and pay so I could get to work. In the elevator on the way up with only 5 minutes to spare I decided to crack into this Mysterious red can of potential awfulness only to discover with the very first sip that it is the best (hands down) iced mocha from a fridge that I have ever had!

The first thing you notice is the chocolate. Its right at the forefront just begging you to keep going, to roll it around on your tongue and look for the other flavorful gems it caresses. The creaminess’ and the hint of that seemingly freshly brewed coffee come next. It’s almost like a milk chocolate bonbon with a layer of chilly cream surrounding a center of decadent whole bean coffee! So in my moment of desperation I discovered that I may not be as loyal to Starbucks as I thought. In fact depending on where you buy this magnificent beverage you can almost afford two for the price of one Starbucks! I did try the Iced vanilla Latte the other day and didn’t enjoy it, but if you’re in the mood for Mocha I can’t recommend this enough.

--Steve

This is how we do it....

Example grocery list:
1. fruit (grapes, )
2. veggies (potatoes, carrots )
3. dairy (butter, milk)
4. meat (pork chops)
5. bread (tortillas, )
6. flour
7. sugar


01/01-01/07/2010
Monday: split pea soup with corn bread
Tuesday: Shredded beef burritos
Wednesday: Spaghetti with salad
Thursday: Bean soup with grilled cheese
Friday: Shepherd's pie
Saturday: ham scramble with toast
Sunday: Pork chops steamed Carrots and roasted red potatoes



I keep a Word Document on my desk top that resembles the above layout. I use this to plan my menus and write my shopping list. I've found by keeping it on my desk top its always accessible and easy to access if I'm in the kitchen and discover we're almost out of something I can ask Steve to add (blank) to the grocery list. The grocery list is my menu and my list in one. At the top is the list of what I need to buy and the bottom is what I'm actually cooking day by day this helps me make sure I don't forget anything because I can see first what I need to buy and what I'm cooking on the same page so if I forgot to put an ingredient on the list but if I look down and see I'm making burritos and didn't put cheese I can grab cheese at the store. After I've added everything I need to make our dinners for the week I'll add anything else we need that I'm out of like flour or sugar, staples like butter or eggs and food for our lunches snacks etc. You have to think when you're writing the list about what you're making what you have on hand to make it and what you need. This requires some mental organization but it's pretty easy once you have the hang of it.
If I draw a blank on what to cook a certain day and can't find inspiration in my pantry or freezer I look at a list of dinner ideas I have and see what sounds good or I'll ask Steve what he wants usually we can fill up a week pretty easy! If we're trying a new recipe I haven't made before I'll put the name of whatever it is and a link to the recipe next to it on the list so when I'm making my list I can click the recipe link and see what I need for the recipe. When it's time to go shopping I just print the list and I only shop once a week :) We have at times shopped for 2 weeks in one trip. I imagine with some careful planning you could even do a big monthly trip with a booster trip for fresh items at some point. You would need more freezer and pantry space than I presently have though!
Now if a monkey wrench is thrown in the week like I get sick and we decide to order a pizza or something else happens spontaneously like your husband sweeps you off your feet and takes you to your favorite restaurant on Wednesday night... I try to build some flexibility into the week like a "throwaway" meal which is something I ALWAYS have on hand that won't spoil essentially a pantry dinner. I will also just shift everything down if we ordered pizza tonight the pork chops I thawed I will cook tomorrow night. Now if you know on a given night that you're doing something like a dinner with friends or a special date I put that on the menu too. Also if there's something during the week like a potluck I put that on the menu so I can plan what to make and buy for that in advance too which eliminates an unnecessary trip to the store. It's happened also that sometimes it's Monday night and I'm supposed to thaw beef for burritos on Tuesday but burritos just don't sound good I'll pull from another day say Fridays Ham scramble and shift burritos to Friday. I have everything on hand to make everything on my menu I don't have to make it in the order listed. I don't know how innovative or ground breaking this concept is... for all I know this is how everyone shops and plans. It works for us and I always know at 5pm what I'm cooking. I know on Monday what's for dinner on Friday. There is never a standing in front of an open fridge wondering "what's for dinner?" moment at our house.